By Adam Pagnucco.
District 7 Council Member Dawn Luedtke, who is running for her second term, has issued a press release containing a long list of endorsements from elected officials. The headliners include U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin and April McClain Delaney. Also listed are a majority of Montgomery County’s state legislators, the mayors of Gaithersburg and Rockville, the entire Gaithersburg City Council and two Rockville City Council Members.
Also running for the District 7 seat are Democrat Sharif Hidayat and Republican Harold Maldonado.
Luedtke’s press release is reprinted below.
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‘WHAT A GREAT LEADER SHE IS FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY’: ELECTEDS SUPPORT DAWN LUEDTKE FOR RE-ELECTION
Leaders Know: Reps. Raskin, Delaney, key state and municipal leaders back Luedtke for Montgomery County Council District 7
For Immediate Release: January 16, 2026
ASHTON, Md., January 16, 2026 – Elected leaders across all levels of government, including Representatives Jamie Raskin and April McClain Delaney, have endorsed Democrat Dawn Luedtke for re-election as Montgomery County Council District 7 Councilmember.
“Dawn Luedtke works hard every day to make sure our public safety, public services and public schools are second to none,” said Rep. Raskin (MD-8). “What a great leader she is for Montgomery County.”
Luedtke, a member of the Council’s Public Safety and Health and Human Services Committees and former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland, has brought experienced and smart leadership representing a District newly created ahead of her first term in 2022.
“Together with so many community leaders, we have been able to successfully fight for the priorities of communities like Montgomery Village, Damascus, Derwood, Laytonsville, Olney, Ashton, and Sandy Spring – places where we have steered investment and worked to improve public safety, schools, and economic development,” Luedtke said. “I am honored to earn the support of this incredible group of elected leaders, and grateful for the chance to work with them as one team across all levels of government for the greater good.”
Elected official endorsers announced by the Luedtke for County Council campaign on Monday include:
Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-8)
Congresswoman April McClain Delaney (MD-6)
Maryland State Sen. Craig Zucker (D-14)
Maryland State Sen. and Majority Leader Nancy King (D-39)
Maryland State Sen. Katie Fry Hester (D-9)
Maryland State Sen. Will Smith (D-20)
Maryland State Sen. Brian Feldman (D-15)
Maryland State Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-17)
Maryland State Sen. Ben Kramer (D-19)
Maryland State Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher (D-18)
Maryland Del. and House Speaker Pro Tem Luke Clippinger (D-46)
Maryland Del. Vaughn Stewart (D-19)
Maryland Del. Anne Kaiser (D-14)
Maryland Del. Eric Ebersole (D-44A)
Maryland Del. Lesley Lopez (D-39)
Maryland Del. Greg Wims (D-39)
Maryland Del. Natalie Ziegler (D-9A)
Maryland Del. Chao Wu (D-9A)
Maryland Del. Ryan Spiegel (D-17)
Maryland Del. Emily Shetty (D-18)
Maryland Del. Lily Qi (D-15)
Maryland Del. David Fraser-Hidalgo (D-15)
Maryland Del. Linda Foley (D-15)
Maryland Del. Marc Korman (D-16)
Maryland Del. Jared Solomon (D-18)
Maryland Del. Joe Vogel (D-17)
City of Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman
City of Gaithersburg Councilmember Jim McNulty
City of Gaithersburg Councilmember Robert Wu
City of Gaithersburg Councilmember Yamil Hernandez
City of Gaithersburg Councilmember Lisa Henderson
City of Gaithersburg Councilmember Neil Harris
City of Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton
City of Rockville Councilmember Barry Jackson
City of Rockville Councilmember Marisa Valeri
Early organizational endorsers of Luedtke’s re-election included SEIU Local 500, the labor union representing Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Montgomery College employees. The Montgomery County Public Schools Retirees Association (MCPSRA), which advocates for retired MCPS educators, also endorsed Luedtke for a second term on the Council.
In her first term, Luedtke has fought to codify the rights of immigrants to receive County services no matter their immigration status, ensure local law enforcement will not cooperate with ICE, and to expand services for immigrant victims of crime.
She has been a driving force for increased investment and modernizing standards to better retain public safety professionals and expand innovative public safety services, protecting victims of human trafficking and forced labor, and in partnering with state legislators to pass the Sgt. Patrick Kepp Act to increase penalties and establish intervention opportunities for repeat reckless drivers.
The Democratic primary is June 23, 2026.